1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tilt hinge suitable for supporting a cover included in a business machine, such as a scanner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known tilt hinge for supporting a display unit included in a laptop type business machine for office automation comprises a mounting member having a bearing plate and attached to a main unit of the business machine, a shaft supported for rotation on the bearing plate, a support member for supporting the display unit, attached to the shaft, and a friction mechanism interlocked with the shaft and the bearing plate to enable the shaft to be rotated only when a torque equal to or greater than a predetermined torque is applied thereto.
Since this known tilt hinge needs to hold the relatively heavy display unit attached to the support member at a predetermined inclination, the friction mechanism must be capable of exerting a relatively high friction torque on the support member. If such a tilt hinge is employed in supporting, for example, a relatively light cover of a scanner, the cover experiences a high frictional resistance and is felt to be heavy when the same is turned on the tilt hinge, and cannot be turned smoothly, which is a problem in the operability of the scanner.